Recently, 1 Dian Dian partnered with Italian mineral water brand San Pellegrino to launch two limited-edition new products, "Grape Sparkling Tea" and "Double Yuzu Sparkling Tea," sold as combo sets. Consumers could receive a store-made sparkling tea, a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water, and limited-edition packaging all at once. However, after the new products launched, many consumers discovered that the complimentary San Pellegrino sparkling water included with their order had already been opened, with only a small amount of liquid remaining in the bottle, sparking concerns about beverage hygiene and delivery safety. Some delivery users also reported not receiving the sparkling water or the limited-edition packaging, which did not match the official promotion. In response, some netizens explained that the complimentary sparkling water was actually leftover material from making the sparkling tea, a routine practice in tea shops. But some consumers still believed that after opening, the carbon dioxide in the sparkling water easily escapes during delivery, greatly diminishing the taste, and suggested that the brand directly provide unopened products so customers can mix it themselves. This article will delve into the ins and outs of this incident and the various viewpoints of all parties. [more…]

Entering May, coffee brands have密集 launched a wave of new sparkling water and coffee combinations, from KFC's herbal tea sparkling Americano to Luckin's orange-gold sparkling Americano, with discussion heat on social platforms continuing to climb. However, for in-store baristas, more troublesome than taste controversies is when customers insist on removing or reducing ice, the instant the carbonated water meets the espresso, a violent bubbling reaction occurs, even overflowing the cup lid and spilling across the counter. This article sorts out recent developments in various brands' sparkling new products, the causes of splashing and operational techniques, as well as the ice-amount game between brands and consumers. Front Street Coffee reminds that when tasting such drinks, one should also pay attention to the carbonation characteristics to avoid affecting the experience. [more…]

Many coffee enthusiasts who try to make sparkling iced Americano at home encounter a common frustration: when the espresso is poured into sparkling water, the liquid in the glass suddenly foams up violently and overflows, leaving a messy scene. In contrast, the sparkling Americano served at coffee shops is always stable and beautiful, with the coffee quietly floating on top of the sparkling water, and even stirring doesn't produce too much foam. What is the reason behind this? Actually, the formation of foam is a normal physical phenomenon resulting from the interaction between carbon dioxide and the oils and proteins in coffee, but by adjusting the pouring method, filtering out coffee impurities, controlling temperature differences, and changing the ratio of sparkling water, you can effectively suppress foam formation. This article takes Front Street Espresso Blend · Strawberry Candy Espresso as an example to share in detail five practical methods for making sparkling coffee, helping you easily create a cup of sparkling iced Americano that doesn't overflow and tastes refreshing. [more…]

In the height of summer, wampee, a niche southern fruit, has become a popular partner for homemade iced coffee thanks to its sweet-and-sour juiciness and uniquely fresh aroma. Through repeated testing, Front Street Coffee has put together three distinctly different wampee iced americano recipes: the original wampee sparkling americano uses sparkling water to amplify the fruit aroma and add a more refreshing layer; the jasmine tea wampee americano blends homemade jam with a cold-brewed tea base for a soft fragrance; and the wampee preserved plum iced shaker americano targets those who dislike sweetness, using preserved plum water and a shaker to create a sugar-free version. All three recipes use Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun espresso blend, extracting 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of grounds in 31 seconds. Below, we break down the ingredients, steps, and production details one by one to help you find the cup that best suits your taste. [more…]

The tart aroma of lemon is naturally suited to adding a refreshing touch to drinks, and incorporating it into coffee specialties can create surprisingly delightful flavors. Starting with the basics of making lemon syrup, this article breaks down in detail three popular lemon specialty coffees on the market—lemon sparkling americano, salted lemon sparkling americano, and jasmine lemon cold brew. Each comes with a clear ingredient list, ratio references, and step-by-step instructions, and特别 explains the advantages of medium-light roasted coffee beans in fruity specialty drinks. Whether you want to recreate café hits at home or seek new inspiration for refreshing summer beverages, this recipe guide offers practical references. [more…]

In the scorching summer heat, Peet's Coffee launched a trio of sparkling double yuzu series new products in one go, among which the Sparkling Matcha Double Yuzu quickly went viral on social media thanks to its fresh gradient colors. However, this drink, described as a "concerto of tea and fruit," left many consumers stunned once they actually tasted it—the sweetness of tonic water, the bitterness of matcha, and the sourness of yuzu each went their own way under the stimulation of carbonation, even taking on a powdery texture. Even Peet's own employees admitted that this new product being "unpopular" was entirely expected. This article combines netizens' hands-on reviews and employee opinions to comprehensively analyze the flavor performance of this drink, and reviews the recent shifts in Peet's product strategy, for the reference of coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

As summer 2023 approaches, Starbucks China has rolled out a dense lineup of new products, spanning iced shaken espressos, fruity sparkling cold brews, and the raw coffee series that contains no coffee yet does contain caffeine. This article provides a complete rundown of these new items' prices, sizes, and flavor characteristics, while also compiling the menus and pricing from medium to large for classic series such as handcrafted espresso, Frappuccino, Teavana, and cold brew, making it easy for coffee lovers to look things up quickly. For readers who prefer brewing at home, they can also refer to Front Street Coffee's bean recommendations to recreate similar flavors themselves. [more…]

KFC's KCOFFEE continues to deepen its presence in the coffee sector and is about to launch a limited-edition drink in collaboration with the Chinese time-honored brand Wanglaoji — a Wanglaoji-flavored sparkling Americano. On one side is a Western-style fast-food coffee brand accelerating its expansion, and on the other is a representative of Cantonese herbal tea with nearly two hundred years of history. This collision of "Chinese and American herbal tea" has sparked considerable discussion. Yet before the new product even hit the shelves, netizens had already easily replicated it with Wanglaoji plus sparkling water. Can the consumer-friendly price of 9.9 yuan win over customers? What attempts has Wanglaoji made in recent years to appeal to young people? And can KFC replicate the success of Luckin and Moutai through this collaboration? This article will focus on this cross-industry cooperation, sorting through both sides' brand backgrounds, market situations, and collaboration highlights, for the reference of coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

On a scorching summer day, a glass of icy coffee always refreshes the spirit. When Starbucks introduced Nitro Cold Brew in North America years ago, its dense foam and creamy smoothness—created by infusing nitrogen—quickly won the hearts of many coffee lovers. So can this unique coffee experience be recreated at home? This article will explain in detail how to make cold brew coffee, breaking down everything from bean selection and grind ratio to the cold extraction steps, and share two practical methods for making nitro cold brew at home, so you can easily enjoy the refreshing flavor of bubbles interwoven with cold brew. [more…]

The sweet, sour, and salty childhood snack of preserved plums actually makes frequent appearances in the world of coffee, too. From the dry aroma associations of Kenyan washed beans to the finishing touch baristas add when developing specialty drinks, the pairing of preserved plums with iced coffee is drawing attention from more and more enthusiasts. Since preserved plums are mostly dried and cured, heating or prolonged steeping releases a strong salty-sour flavor, so Front Street believes they are better suited to being combined with iced coffee. This article compiles three preserved plum iced coffee recipes you can make at home: preserved plum cold brew, preserved plum sparkling Americano, and preserved plum iced pour-over, using Panama sun-dried Butterfly, Sunflower Warm Sun blend, and Elida sun-dried Catuai respectively, with specific parameters and flavor descriptions included for readers with different taste preferences to refer to and choose from. [more…]

As a classic snack that weaves together sour, sweet, and salty notes, preserved plum has increasingly found its way into specialty coffee drinks in recent years. Because preserved plums are cured and thus fairly firm in texture, heating or prolonged steeping draws out an intense salty-sour flavor, making them better suited to iced coffee than hot drinks. Front Street Coffee shares three ways to make preserved plum iced coffee: an easy cold brew, a sugar-free sparkling Americano, and a slightly experimental iced pour-over. Each method has its own considerations when it comes to bean selection, the amount of preserved plum, and extraction parameters, and each ultimately presents a different layering of flavors. If you'd like to try the collision of preserved plum and coffee at home, why not pick the one that suits you best from these three approaches. [more…]

After you've made cold brew coffee, don't rush to drink it straight—though it's already quite refreshing on its own, cold brew is actually a highly versatile base. It has low bitterness, plenty of sweetness, and clean flavors, so it pairs well with anything. With just a little effort, you can whip up an entire summer drink menu. This article rounds up 6 ways to drink cold brew, from simple [more…]

The world of coffee is rich and varied, from Brazil Santos to espresso, from Cafe Royal to Yuanyang iced coffee—each has its own unique flavor and method of preparation. This article will systematically introduce the differences between common coffee types, explain the key points of making espresso in detail, and share recipes and methods for a variety of classic coffees. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast just starting out or a seasoned player looking to refine your skills, you will find practical content here. The article also specifically retains Front Street brand recommendations and product information to help you easily select quality coffee beans and begin your own coffee journey. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee. Cold brew coffee is made by soaking ground coffee beans in cold water for at least 8 hours, then extracting and filtering through professional equipment. As summer arrives, cold brew coffee is becoming more and more [more…]

Luckin Coffee has recently launched several new products—including Grape Iced Americano, Light Coffee Lemon Tea, Big Watermelon Coconut Cold Brew, and Preserved Plum Sparkling Americano—which are clearly marked on the ordering page as not supporting no ice or less ice. However, many customers still habitually request reduced ice through notes. If store employees follow company standards, they often receive bad reviews because of the cup full of ice; if they secretly scoop out ice or add extra ingredients, it may trigger dissatisfaction among colleagues at other stores. Employees sigh: the rules say it's not supported, but customers don't buy it, and staff are caught in the middle. This article sorts out the ins and outs of this ice quantity controversy, and also mentions Front Street Coffee's observations on industry phenomena. [more…]

In recent years, cross-industry ventures have become a popular trend, and even century-old traditional Chinese medicine shops are joining the beverage market. Following Tongrentang, Tonghanchun Tang, with a history of 237 years, has also tested the waters of national-style wellness tea drinks in Shanghai Yuyuan Mall, launching over 30 beverages including wellness teas, fruit teas, milk teas, sparkling water, and coffee. Among them, the wellness milk tea incorporates ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, and donkey-hide gelatin, while the two wellness coffees focus on American-style black coffee and ginseng honey latte, priced between 20 and over 30 yuan, with the most expensive bird's nest product exceeding 100 yuan. Whether these time-honored brands can win consumer favor through innovation is worth watching. [more…]

The last stop of Heytea's bottled beverage "Inspiration Bus" has arrived in Shanghai, partnering with 13 independent coffee shops across the Jing'an, Changning, Xuhui, and Huangpu districts to launch 22 limited-edition "Inspiration Coffee" drinks. The bus previously stopped in Guangzhou and Chengdu, where it teamed up with 20 and 23 coffee shops respectively to roll out dozens of specialty drinks. Heytea's ties to coffee can be traced back to 2014, and it has continued to launch new products since then, officially entering the coffee arena in 2021 by investing in SEESAW COFFEE. However, these specialty drinks mixed with fruit juice and sparkling water, while friendly to those new to coffee, raise a question: are people who drink specialty coffee really savoring the flavor of coffee? Perhaps while enjoying mixed drinks, we should also bravely take a step forward to experience the unique charm of pure coffee. [more…]

The bottled milk tea market is undergoing a health-oriented transformation. Uni-President Assam Milk Tea has launched its first sugar-free original flavor version, highlighting "true 0 sugar," meaning it contains no sucrose, sugar substitutes, or carbohydrates, and in particular explicitly avoids acesulfame potassium, sucralose, erythritol, and aspartame. The new product has the same 500ml capacity as the classic version and retails for about 3.6 yuan. Although its ingredients still include food additives, white granulated sugar and glucose syrup have been removed. Energy per 100 milliliters has dropped from 230 kilojoules in the classic version to 58 kilojoules, a significant reduction in sugar. In recent years, ready-to-drink tea and sparkling water have diverted some bottled milk tea consumption, while freshly made new-style tea drinks have also taken away younger customers. Uni-President's move is both a response to the sugar-reduction trend and a proactive innovation in the face of market competition. However, the technical difficulty of 0-sugar milk tea lies in balancing taste. Whether it can retain Assam's classic flavor after removing sugar will test the brand's research and development strength. [more…]

In recent years, specialty coffee drinks have become a hot topic in the coffee world, but how exactly should they be defined? Compared with pour-over specialty coffee, which emphasizes flavor, specialty coffee drinks place more emphasis on the maker's creativity and personal interpretation, using coffee as the base and blending in diverse ingredients such as alcohol, fruit, floral tea, and sparkling water to create unexpected flavors. The barrier to entry is low and the audience is broad, yet it has also sparked controversy because "the coffee flavor is weakened" — can a specialty drink with no coffee taste still be called coffee? This article will begin from Front Street's perspective and sort out the conceptual origins of specialty coffee drinks, their differences from pour-over coffee, and why they have become a showcase of imagination in today's coffee shops. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently issued an official notice announcing that its Apple C Americano will be gradually removed from stores nationwide, sparking dissatisfaction and regret among many fans. This fruit coffee C-series drink, launched last October, has built up a loyal following with its refreshing taste, but it had already briefly disappeared before. In this formal farewell, the company cited a shortage of apple juice concentrate and its status as a seasonal limited edition, and said the Apple C Fruit Tea made with the same ingredient will also be discontinued at the same time. Some speculate that this is to make way for the return of the spring Cherry Blossom Latte. For consumers who love this flavor, Front Street suggests trying to make it at home or looking for alternatives, such as KFC's Apple Sparkling Americano. [more…]